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Community Corner

Cherry Festival Opens to Large Crowd

Dozens line up to enter the Beaumont Cherry Festival opening night.

The Beaumont Cherry Festival kicked off Thursday afternoon at Stewart Park, with a long line of fun seekers waiting for the gates to open at 5 p.m.

“I come with my family every year,” said Ana Gonzales, 12, of Beaumont. “We go on all the rides and have fun together.”

“I like going on opening day so I can run around and check it all out,” said Andy Sanchez, 11, of Beaumont. “My cousins and I go on all the rides.”

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The festival - with a theme this year of “A Slice of Heaven in 2011” - continues through Sunday. On Saturday, the Cherry Festival Parade will start at 10:30 a.m. in front of the Beaumont Civic Center, with grand marshals Dan and Laura Dotson of A&E’s Storage Wars.

“We might go to the parade, if we wake up in time,” Gonzales said.

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Once the gates opened, kids made a beeline for the midway area, where five tickets got a Ferris Wheel ride or a dizzy spin on the Zipper. 

“I would die if I went on that,” said Katie Napoletano, 9, of Redlands. “It goes too high and too fast!”

Mario Martinez of Phoenix was at his second festival, working at the ball tossing game.

“I’m having fun,” he said as he showed kids how to play. “We travel for nine months, so I know all the places.”

Outside of the fun zone, several booths were set up by local churches, dental offices, and boutiques. In the concessions zone, there was plenty of fried food, including corn dogs and funnel cakes. The Beaumont High School cheerleading squad sold cherry flavored items, like cherry lemonade and cherry pie. Jamaican treats were also available, as well as Chinese and Mexican. Nearby, there was a beer garden and a stage where Mini KISS, the Superfreaks, Air Supply and more will play later in the festival.

The women of Pooh’s Concessions, selling nachos, churros, pretzels and more, made the long trek to Beaumont from northern Arizona for the sixth year in a row.

“We come because it’s a family event and we enjoy it,” said owner Michelle McKillip. 

Pooh’s also offers a wide range of specialty drinks, including sarsaparilla, birch beer and plain root beer, using cane sugar. Patrons could purchase their drinks in either a souvenir tin mug or a plastic boot.

“We do a lot of rodeos, and it fits in well with our decor,” said Pam Jobst. “It’s eye-catching, and the mugs are fun. We brought red boots in honor of the Cherry Festival. Last year we had pink, and they said, ‘Hey, where’s the red?’”

It was Napletano's first time trying the sarsaparilla, and she was hooked.

“That was the best drink I have ever had,” she said. “I want to keep coming back for more.” 

Friday and Saturday, the festival is open from noon to midnight; Sunday from noon to 9 p.m. For more information on the Beaumont Cherry Festival, visit the official website.

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